FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 12, 2025
CONTACT: Kathy Dempsey for Christ Medicus Foundation CURO
“Just as much of Europe has greatly restricted gender transition interventions on minors, many in the United States choose to ignore both common sense and science and continue to push for these dangerous and unethical practices,” said Louis Brown, Jr. Esq., Executive Director of Christ Medicus Foundation.
Case in point, the State of Washington and the PFLAG organization filed separate federal lawsuits and obtained preliminary injunctions against the Trump Administration’s Executive Orders protecting young people from gender theory and gender transitioning procedures. These cases are now awaiting consideration by the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the 9th and the 4th Circuits. On July 30, the Catholic Health Care Leadership Alliance (CHCLA), of which CMF is a founding member, filed two amicus briefs in the 9th and 4th Circuits in support of the Executive Orders combating gender theory and demonstrating how gender-transition interventions violate the conscience rights of healthcare professionals.
“The Administration’s Executive Orders 14168 and 14187 are consistent with federal law, protect minors from unethical and harmful interventions, and safeguard the conscience and religious freedom rights of healthcare professionals,” said Louis Brown.
EO 14168 declared it to be the policy of the United States “to recognize two sexes, male and female” which are “not changeable” and therefore banned federal funds from being used to promote gender ideology. EO 14187 created federal policy to cease funding, sponsoring, promoting or supporting gender transitions of minors.
According to the amicus briefs, “religious healthcare professionals face a crisis of conscience: whether to participate in harmful gender-transition interventions that violate their faith, or to risk serious employment consequences, including termination, demotion, loss of job opportunities, and harassment.”
The briefs state that “it is well within this statutory authority for the executive branch to take actions to prevent violations of conscience. President Trump’s executive orders combating gender ideology are an important step toward protecting the rights of conscience” and that the Courts “should heed the voices of thousands of religious healthcare professionals, whose daily acts of service are the heartbeat of compassionate medical care in the United States.”
“Gender theory and the gender transitioning interventions seriously harm young people and families, undermine parental rights, and directly violate the medical conscience rights of many healthcare professionals and healthcare entities. Recognition of the dangers of gender theory has been bolstered by the growing medical evidence that ‘gender affirming care’ undermines the physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing of children,” said Brown. “It is clear that many medical professionals have conscience and religious objections to transgender practices for minors in part because this misguided approach lacks objective medical or scientific support. If anything, the balance of medical research overwhelmingly confirms that transgender procedures negatively impact children’s health.
“Consistent with the Supreme Court’s decision in Skrmetti, just as it is constitutional for Tennessee to prohibit gender transitioning interventions for minors due to legitimate concerns about harms to the health and safety of children, it is likewise constitutional for the executive branch of the federal government to protect children from the damage of gender ideology in medicine. The Christ Medicus Foundation believes that the CHCLA amicus briefs will (1) educate the Courts of Appeal on the constitutionality of the President’s Executive Orders and (2) show how gender ideology has threatened the medical conscience rights of medical professionals and healthcare institutions throughout America,” concluded Louis Brown.
The Christ Medicus Foundation shares Jesus Christ’s healing love in health and wellness. We advance religious freedom for medical professionals and patients. We promote Christ-centered pro-life medical care. We offer our CURO Catholic health and wellness program for the medical needs and whole-person wellness of individuals and families. Founded in 1997, the Christ Medicus Foundation works to accomplish its mission through promoting public policy and education, supporting Christ-centered pro-life medical centers, and providing our CURO Catholic Health and Wellness Program.
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